MOSCOW, June 2, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Russia intercepted 162 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian defence ministry said on Monday, hours before Kyiv and Moscow were to start a second round of direct talks in Turkey.

"Air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 162 Ukrainian drones" between 1710 GMT and 2300 GMT on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

The majority of the drones were shot down over regions bordering Ukraine, with 57 intercepted over the Kursk region and 31 over the Belgorod region, it said.

The barrage came hours before Ukrainian and Russian delegations were to sit down for talks in Istanbul, the second round of direct talks between the two sides since the weeks after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

It also came a day after Kyiv said it carried out one of its most brazen and successful attacks on Russian soil, hitting dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases deep inside Russia, thousands of kilometres behind the frontline.